Vehicle-brake



(No Model.)

G. B, FAIRGHILD.'

VEHICLE BRAKL Patented Jam'l 5,1897.,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES B. FAIRCI-IILD, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF CNE-EIGHTII TO DANIEL IV. BOSLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,868, dated January 5, 189'?. Original application iiled December 3, 1895, Serial No. 570,948. Divided and this application filed February 18, 1896. Serial No. 579,718. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. FAIRCHILD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Brake, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in vehicle-brakes, and relates particularly to im- Io provements in what may be termed pavement-brakes of the general type comprising, broadly, a brush supported upon the vehicle and adapted to be lowered and raised to depress the free ends of the brush-teeth into and to raise them out of contact with the roadbed.

The object of the present invention is to provide a brake of this type of such construction that when the free ends of the brushzo teeth are brought in to contact with the roadbed or pavement said brake will be applied quickly, automatically, and with desired force. l

A brake embodying my invention comprises a brake-brush consisting of a rigid back in which are secured a plurality of brush-teeth; a base-block pivotally supported in permanent longitudinal adjustment upon the vehicle and in contact with which said brake-- 3o brush is supported; cam-surfaces formed on said base-block and on said brush, respectively, such that movement of said brush 1ongitudinally of said base-block will operate to advance or retract said brush relatively to said block or support; stops to limit the longitudinal movement of said brush relatively to said block or support, and means to lower and raise the free end of said pivoted block or support to depress the free ends of the brush- 4o teeth into and to raise them out of contact with the road-bed or pavement.

The invention also consists in the various other features, combinations of features, and details of construction hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings a brake embodying my invention is fully illustrated.

Figure 1 is a side view of a brake embodying my invention, said brake being shown as 5o applied to the motor-car of an electric streetrailway. Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof, and Figs. 3, '4, and 5 show different forms of brush-teeth.

Referring` now to the drawings, A designates as a whole a brake-brush which is substantially identical in construction with the brake-brush heretofore fully described in an application for Letters Patent filed by me on the 3d day of December, 1895, Serial No. 570,948, and which comprises', essentially, a 6o rigid back A', in which are secured a plurality of brush-teeth a.

In the preferable form of the brake-brush A the brush-teeth a are resilient and are made from strands of cable-wire drawn to a mild 65 spring-temper. My invention, however, contemplates the use of rigid teeth, either alone 0r together with resilient teeth, and also contemplates the use of other forms of resilient teeth, all as fully disclosed in an application 7o for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me in the Patent Office on the 3d day of December, 1895, Serial No. 570,948.

In the drawings I have shown my improved brake as applied to the motor-car of an elec- 7 5. tric street-railway, said brake being placed at the middle of the car.

The brake-brush A is maintained in contact with a block or support B, pivoted adjacent to one end to a rod or bar B, rigidly se- 8o cured to the transverse bars B2 of the truckframe, said brush being supported in such manner as to render it movable relatively to said block or support B. As shown, coiled tension-springs b are used to so hold said brake-brush in contact with said block or support, the ends of said springs being connected to said brush and to said block or support, respectively.

Movement of the brake-brushA relatively 9o to the block or support B is limited by links b', pivotally connected at one end to said brake-brush, and slots in the other ends of which engage pivot pins or studs secured in said block or support. As shown, the springs 'b and the links Z2 are connected to the same pins or studs.

Formed on the contacting-surfaces of the block or support B and of the brake-brush A are cam-surfaces, such that movement of said Ioo brush longitudinally of said block or support will operate to advance said brush toward or to retract it from the road-bed relatively to said block or support. As shown, duplicate sets of regularly-inclined surfaces b2 b3 are formed on said block B, corresponding oppositelyinclined surfaces b4 lf being formed on the brush A. The pitch of the said inclined surfaces is about one inch vertically to three inches longitudinally.

In the preferable construction shown also the block or support B is fitted to a channel formed in the upper surface of the brakebrush A, the cam-surfaces 011 said brush being formed at the bottom of said channel. The block or support B will thus operate in an obvious manner to maintain said brush A from lateral displacement.

In order to provide for longitudinal movement of the brake-brush A relatively to said block orsupport B, said brush is made shorter than said block or support, the difference in length being such that the brush, being at the middle of the block lengthwise, may move in either direction asu iiicient distance to depress said brush about two inches relatively to the block or support B. lVith inclined surfaces having a pitch of one inch in three said brush will be about twelve inches shorter than the inclined surfaces ou said block or support. 'lhe length or lengths of the respective inclined surfaces is from two to three inches more than the maximum travel of the brakebrush from its middle position on said block or support longitudinally thereof. Said brush will therefore always be supported at both ends.

The springs Z1 operate to maintain the brakebrush A normally at the middle of the block or support B, and thus at the middle of its travel. Said springs also operate to maintai n said brush normally at the limit of its re traction relatively to the block or support B.

Keyed to a shaft (l, mounted in suitable brackets d', secured to one of the fra1ne-bars B2 of the truck-frame above the free end of the block or support B, is a cam-block D, the cani-surface of which bears upon the top of said block or support and will operate to depress the free end thereof` when said block D is rotated in the proper direction.

Rigidly secured to the shaft d are leverarms d2, connected by brake-rods d3 to brakelevers (not shown) mounted on the car-plat forms at opposite ends of the car.

The block or support B being in raised position, a thrust on either of said brake-rods di will obviously operate to rotate the camblock D in the proper direction to depress the free end of the block or support B. The free end of said block or support B is also connected by a link d4 with said cam-block D in such manner that when said cam-block is r0- tated so as to relieve the pressure on said camblock or support said block or support will be raised thereby. In the preferable construction shown the link d4 is a spring-link,

as thereby the fine proportions of parts which would be necessary if a rigid link were used are avoided. As shown, the block or support B is in depressed position.

A coiled tension-spring d5, applied to the end of one of the lever-arms cl2, as clearly shown, operates to rotate the cam-block D in proper direction to relieve the pressure on the free end of the block or support B when the brake is released and through the medium of the link d" to raise the free end of said block or support B and to lnaintain it normally raised and inoperative.

Longitudinal movement of the brake-brush A relatively to the block or support B i3 lilnited by stops d, which, as shown, consist of angle-plates rigidly secured to said block or support B in the path of travelof said brush. Said stops also operate to support said brush against the end thrust due to the application of the brake.

The operation of my improved brake is as follows: The block or support B being in its normal retracted position, in which position the brake-brush A, carried thereon, is above the pavement, and it being desired to apply the brake, the operator, by means of either of the brake-levers on the car-platforms, the brake-rod (Hand the lever-arm d2,corresponding thereto, rotates the shaft (l, so that the cam-block D will depress the free end of the block or support B until the free ends of the brush-teeth @come into contact with the roadbed or pavement. The resistance offered to the passage of the said brake-brush along the road-bed or pavement operates automatically to impart longitudinal movement to said brake-brush relatively to said block or support IB, whereby said brush will be farther depressed into forcible engagement with the road-bed or pavement and the ear stopped.

The brake is released by relieving the strain on the operating-lever, when the spring di will operate to rotate the shaft d and through the medium of the spring-link d4' to raise the free end of the block or support B, so that the free ends of the brush-teeth are raised out of engagement with the road-bed or pavement, when the springs l) retract said brush to it-s normal position at the middle of the block or support B.

This application is filed as a division of an application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed by me in the Patent Oiiiee on the 3d day of December, 1895, Serial No. 570,948, in which a brake embodying my present invention is shown and described, but not claimed.

Certain features of my improved brake herein fully disclosed are claimed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States executed of even date and filed in the Patent Office concurrently herewith, and are for that reason not claimed herein.

I claiml. In a vehicle-brake, the combination of a brake-brush, consisting of a rigid back in IOO IIO

which are secured a plurality of brush-teeth, a pivoted block or support, springs connecting said block or support and said brush, whereby said brush is maintained in movable contact with said block or support, cam-surfaces formed on said brush and on said pivoted block'or support, respectively, such that movement of said brush, longitudinally of said support, will operate to advance or .to retract said brush, relatively to said block or support, stops to limit the longitudinal movement of said brush relativelyT to said block or support and means to lower and raise the free end of said block or support, to depress the free ends of the brush-teeth into and to raise them out of contact with the road-bed or pavement, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle-brake, the combination of a brake-brush, consisting of a rigid back in which are secured a plurality of brush-teeth, a pivoted block or support, springs connecting said block or support and said brush, whereby Said brush is maintained in movable contact with said block or support, cam-surfaces formed on said brush and on said pivoted block or support, respectively, such that movement of said brush, longitudinally of said support, will operate to advance or to retract said brush, relatively to said block or support, stops to limit the longitudinal movement of said brush relatively to said block or support, a cam-block applied to the free end of said pivoted block or support and adapted to depress the saine to bring the free ends of the brush-teeth into contact with the roadbed or pavement and a link connecting` said cam-block with the free end of said pivoted block or support, whereby the free end of said block or support will be raised to raise CID the free ends of the brush-teeth out of contact with the road-bed or pavement, as the cam-block is actuated to relieve the pressure on said block or support, substantially as described.

3. In a vehicle-brake, the combination of a brake-brush, consisting of a rigid back in which are secured a plurality of brush-teeth, a pivoted block or support, springs connecting said block or support and said brush, whereby said brush is maintained in movable contact with said block or support, cam-surfaces formed on said brush and on said pivoted block or support, respectively, such that movement of said brush, longitudinally of said support, will operate to advance or to retract said brush, relatively to said block or support, stops to limit the longitudinal move-- ment of said brush relatively to said block or support, a cam-block applied to the free end of said pivoted block or support and adapted to depress the same to bring the free ends of the brush-teeth into contact with the roadbed or pavement and an elastic link connecting said cam-block with the free end of said pivoted block or support, whereby the free end of said block or support will be raised to raise the free ends of the brush-teeth out of contact with the road-bed or pavement, as the cam-block is actuated io relieve the pressure on said block or support, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of February, 1896.

CHARLES B. FAIRCHILD.

Vitnesses:

F. C. CRITTENDEN, GRACE FERN. 

